


Grave Digger Redux

by aserene



Category: Bones (TV), NCIS
Genre: Buried Alive, Character listed in order of appearance, Character listed in order of mention, Episode Style, Gen, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-18 17:01:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29121597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aserene/pseuds/aserene
Summary: “This is the Grave Digger. I have taken Director Shepard and buried her alive. You have 6 hours to wire 2.8 million dollars to the account that is texted to you. Once I receive the money, I will text you the coordinates for Director Shepard. This will be my final communication. Do not contact the FBI. If you do, they will die.”
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	1. Opener

**Author's Note:**

> So, I realize this has all been done, but I'm not sure it's been done this way...
> 
> Timeline:   
> NCIS Everything up to Judgement Day (but that didn't happen)  
> Bones Circa Season 6ish, you know, just role with it. There's only one key plot detail there.

“This is the Grave Digger. I have taken Director Shepard and buried her alive. You have 6 hours to wire 2.8 million dollars to the account that is texted to you. Once I receive the money, I will text you the coordinates for Director Shepard. This will be my final communication. Do not contact the FBI. If you do, they will die.” 

Leroy Jethro Gibbs slammed his cell phone closed and looked up at his breakfast partner. 

“Tobias, who the fuck is the Grave Digger, and why should I not be talking to the FBI?” He demanded. Agent Tobias Fornell looked as if his mind exploded and stuttered a few times before picking up his cell phone and making a call. 

“I need the current location of Agent Seeley Booth.” A voice replied, and Tobias hung up and turned back to his friend. “Heather Taffet was the Grave Digger.” 

“Was?”

“Jacob Brodsky killed her nearly a year ago.” 

“The Grave Digger just took Jenny, so you might want to rethink that,” Gibbs demanded. “Now, who the fuck is Seely Booth?” 

“A survivor. Get your team; we need to go to the Jeffersonian.” 

* * *

A cough was what startled Special Agent Timothy McGee. His head hurt a great deal, but what bothered him more was the blood on his hands from what appeared to be broken glass. He couldn’t tell where he was but looked in the direction of the cough as another one broke the silence. All he saw was red hair and a black suit.  _ Not good.  _

“Director? Director Shepard?” He called, gently trying to sit up. 

“McGee?” Her voice was hoarse. “Did Gibbs do something?” 

“Ma’am, I haven’t seen Gibbs today. We seem to be...trapped,” McGee forced out. He watched the redhead turn to look at him with surprise. 

“McGee, where are we exactly?” 

“We appear to be trapped in an elevator,” McGee answered, noticing the panel of numbered buttons. 

“An underground elevator,” Jenny clarified, pointing at the dirt dropping from the ceiling. “I don’t recall visiting a nuclear bunker or having that on my itinerary.” McGee watched her shift into a more sitting position and take a deep breath. “Wipe that nervous look off your face McGee.” 

“Yes, ma’am.” McGee tried to go for a poker face but failed. Jenny chuckled. 

“Tim, I think you can call me Jenny.” McGee nodded. “You’re not like the others, Tim. I know you're going through the math in your head, but you’ve forgotten something,” Jenny explained. McGee nodded again. He didn’t want to deny that he’d be contemplating their time elapsed and how much oxygen could be left. Jenny seemed to be waiting for a response. 

“I don’t know how long we’ve been here.”  _ Or how much longer we could survive.  _

“Tim, it’s 8 AM, and you’re late for work. You're never late for work. Gibbs is going to wonder where you are,” Jenny reasoned, looking at her wristwatch. “Now, we’re not just going to wait for him. You’re an agent; start an investigation.” 

McGee cracked a tepid smile at the fiery director and pulled out a notebook from his pocket. He listened as Jenny started to explain the last things she remembered. He privately went back over her words and thought about what she said.  _ Gibbs isn’t going to just wonder about me; he’s going to be looking for her too.  _ He paused a moment rethinking the day the Director had been kidnapped, and momentarily he felt bad for Tony and Ziva. 


	2. Scene 1

Leroy Jethro Gibbs was a man of few words and more distinct action. He walked into the Jeffersonian Institute trailed by Tony and Ziva and wasn’t really concerned about Fornell’s asking for directions. He just went toward the platform and looked around, looking for the FBI Agent. A tall man dressed in a crisp black suit walking next to a brunette seemed to work. 

He moved quickly in his direction and took the man down from behind, pushing him against the wall as alarms went off all around. 

“Agent Booth, you're going to tell me everything you know about the Grave Digger,” Gibbs swore. 

“She’s dead.” Booth shot back before elbowing his assailant and turning the tables on him. Booth had the older man up against the wall with his arm at his throat only to hear two guns cock behind him and a third to his side. 

“You’re going to want to let our Boss go,” the exotic-looking woman drawled. 

“Ziva, drop the gun aimed at my husband, or I’ll shoot you,” Booth heard Bones say. 

“Lady, I don’t know who you are, but Ziva here is Mossad meaning assassin ninja, so you’re going to want to tell your husband to let our boss go.” 

“I don’t know what that means,” Bones replied, glancing towards Booth but redirecting her gaze to the exotic “Ziva.” 

“Ziva?” Cam’s voice came from around the corner.

“Sweetie, what are you doing?” Angela snapped, coming from the same direction. 

“Agent Booth, I’ll ask you to release our friend from NCIS; we’re on a time limit here. Jethro, always a bull, diplomacy is a lost art on you.” 

“Jen is buried alive,” Gibbs muttered. “I don’t have time for diplomacy. Ziva, drop it.” 

Booth saw Bones lower her gun and released Gibbs taking a step back and glancing toward the still unidentified men before blinking. “Agent Fornell, sir!” Booth greeted respectfully. 

“Agent Booth, this is Special Agent Gibbs, Special Agent Tony DiNozzo, and Agent Ziva David, NCIS. Jethro, this is Special Agent Seeley Booth, his partner Dr. Temperance Brennan, and their team. Now, if we can put the weapons away, we have something to discuss.” Fornell explained, watching the weapons get holstered but noticing Booth’s partner glance at Gibbs with curiosity. 

“Ziva, what are you doing here?” Bones inquired. 

“We are here because of Jenny,” Ziva answered. 

“Jenny?” Cam and Angela echoed. “Why isn’t she with you?” Cam followed.

“Seeing as you know people on my team,” Gibbs started. “I received a phone call from the Grave Digger approximately thirty minutes ago.” 

“That’s impossible,” a male voice came from down the corridor. 

“Hodgins,” Angela warned. 

“It’s impossible. Heather Taffet had her brains blown out by our sniper buddy Brodsky,” Hodgins continued. 

“Or Not,” Tony began. 

“No,” Booth interrupted. “Look, Agent Gibbs, there’s no way the Grave Digger took your team member.” 

“She’s not…” 

“Agent Booth, Jennifer Shepard is not a member of Agent Gibbs’s team. She’s the Director of NCIS.” There was a silence that could have heard multiple pins drop. 

“And apparently well known here at the Jeffersonian,” Gibbs began. 

“That would be my fault,” a young Goth woman stated. 

“Abby?” 

“Tony called Ducky and me. I’m friends with Angela; I introduced Jenny to Angela, Cam, and Tempe,” Abby explained. “And it’s not the Grave Digger, but it’s someone who wants us to think that and that someone has been manipulating us.” 

“Abby,” Gibbs started. 

“No, Gibbs, listen, please. Angela, do you remember the woman I had you do facial reconstruction for, the supposed Jane Doe, and how Jenny freaked out?” 

“Yea, she, she was distraught, but that was over a month ago,” Angela replied. 

“What case was this?” Tony asked. “We haven’t worked a Jane Doe.” 

“It wasn’t your case. It was another team’s. I was stuck; I sometimes come to the Jeffersonian when I get stuck. Jenny doesn’t mind, but this time she did.” 

“I reviewed that skull,” Bones answered, “Angela had the right reconstruction.” 

“Can we get back to Jenny being kidnapped, please?” Gibbs demanded. 

“It’s connected, Gibbs!” Abby stated. 

“Then let’s see this woman,” Tony suggested. Angela showed the group towards her office and the Angelatron, explaining how it worked. She brought up the facial reconstruction and heard Gibbs and Ziva gasp. 

“You know who she is?” Angela asked. 

“It’s young Jennifer’s mother,” A Scottish brogue answered from behind the group. “Dr. Mallard, my dear, and you must be Angela. Jenny has spoken of your artistic abilities.” 

“Ducky, Jen…” Gibbs began. 

“Jenny’s mother died when she was five,” Ziva answered. “Not from murder, to my understanding, this is not her mother. Unless someone went grave stealing.” 

“Robing, Ziva,” Tony corrected quietly. 

“She was killed by a sniper while drinking a glass of Scotch… the same kind as the Director’s…” Abby started to explain. 

“Her father. Boss, are we talking about the frog again?” Tony tried. 

“No,” Gibbs and Fornell answered together. 

“There have been other cases, Gibbs,” Fornell started. “Several that match the way people in both of your lives have died.” 

“This doesn’t solve our current problem,” Gibbs said gruffly. “What does this mean? Jenny doesn’t have that kind of money.” 

“Where’s McGee?” Abby asked suddenly. Gibbs looked up as if realizing for the first time that he wasn’t with the team. 

“We left him a voicemail, Boss,” Tony said as if it explained his absence. 

“The call said they,” Gibbs remembered. Everyone looked toward him. “Do not contact the FBI. If you do, they will die. Not she, they. McGee is with the Director.” Gibbs concluded. 

“How much did they ask for?” Booth said. 

“2.8 million,” Tony replied. 

“Is that significant?” Booth followed up, noticing Bones and Ziva looking hesitant at each other. “Bones? You know Jenny, is that number significant?” 

“Ziva,” Gibbs demanded. 

“Gibbs, it was before she was the director.” Ziva began. 

“Jenny almost died on February 8th.” Bones stated bluntly. “It’s why she was delayed in being announced the director.” 

“What?” Gibbs inquired. 

“Cairo, Gibbs. She was supposed to be announced as the director right after we finished the mission. It went awry...the delay was her time to heal,” Ziva explained. 

“Bones?” Booth pressed. 

“I’ve worked with Jenny on some cases before she became Director,” Bones answered. 

“How does this help us get her and now McGee?” 

“That’s just it,” Hodgins asked. “When Taffet asked for the 8 million, it was because of me,” he explained. “Does McGee have that kind of money?” 

“No,” Abby answered. 

“C’mon Abs, the books…” Tony tried. 

“No, Tony, he doesn’t have that kind of money.” 

“Who got the call?” Cam inquired. 

“I did,” Gibbs answered. 

“Then you’re the focus of the taunt. Do you have that kind of money?” There were multiple chuckles all around. “I’ll take that as a no. Then does February 8th mean something to you?” 

“Gibbs…” Fornell started. 

“My wife and daughter were killed February 8th, 1991,” Gibbs answered succinctly. “This is about me, then why Jenny?” 

“Oh please, Jethro,” Ducky started. “I think we can…” 

“Ducky,” Gibbs warned. 

“Jethro?” Angela looked at the man she might otherwise call silver-haired fox. She glanced at Bones and Cam before turning to Ziva. “Is he that Jethro?” She inquired. Gibbs caught the comment. 

“What?” 

“Jenny…” 

“Angela, please do not.” Ziva snapped harshly. 

“According to the clock, they only have five hours left,” Fornell said. 

“There has to be something we can do,” Ziva said, watching as Gibbs paced back and forth in the hall. 

“It would be helpful if we could get a list of known injuries, scars, that sort of thing for…” 

“Bones,” Booth warned. 

“I’ll do it,” Gibbs said. “Abby, can you help…” 

“Abby, why don’t you come with me, and you, Agent DiNozzo?” Cam suggested seeing Ziva’s look of determination. They waited for Gibbs’ nod before following her to her office. 

“Ziva, you can go to,” Gibbs said. 

“I was her partner too,” Ziva reminded. 

“Jethro, Ziva might be of help,” Ducky stated as he held the door for Angela. “Perhaps Dr. Brennan can assist me with their medical records.” 

“Of course, Dr. Mallard,” Bones said. 

Angela waited for Gibbs to sit on her couch and Ziva to move to a chair at the desk. 

“So just tell me what you remember; anything can help, like childhood injuries. Things you know left a scar.” 

“You could get this from her medical records.” 

“We could, yes, but sometimes it helps with things we know may have remodeled or not left a scar,” Angela said. 

“She broke her arm when she was 8...maybe nine, fell out of a tree,” Gibbs began. “I don’t...I don’t know which arm.” 

“That’s a great start,” Angela encouraged. Gibbs thought quietly for a minute glancing at Ziva. 

“Ziva, I really don’t…” 

“Gibbs, remember I profiled your entire team, including you. Do you think I did not do the same to the woman I would be working closely with?” 

“Oh, so you are that, Jethro,” Angela quietly teased, giving Gibbs a small smile. 

“She was my partner,” Gibbs maintained. 

“Yea, so are Booth and Brennan, so…”

“Jenny has a scar on her left thigh, gunshot, went all the way to the bone. Never healed well...Scar is about an inch.” Gibbs interrupted. “She...can you see things like twisted ankles? She used to do that before learning to run in those heels.” 

“Brennan can find evidence of that,” Angela said. “Anything else.” 

“Yes,” Ziva answered. “But…”

“Ziva’s right,” Gibbs paused as a flash of memory passed through him. “She has a scar on her left shoulder area…” he gestured on himself, “Just above her heart. I….I don’t remember... she said to ask Ziva,” Gibbs drifted off thinking hard. “But that doesn’t make sense.” 

Ziva stood up loudly, “Gibbs; you can’t know that.” 

“What?” Angela questioned. “Ziva, if he was...her partner…”

“No,” he stated. “Gibbs, you can’t possibly.” 

“Why would Jenny tell me to ask you about that scar? We didn’t know you…” Gibbs questioned. 

“I….Ducky!” Ziva yelled. A minute of tense silence passed before Dr. Mallard and Bones appeared. 

“Ziva, while I appreciate…”

“The scar on Jenny’s shoulder,” Ziva began.

“There’s a mention of one in the record, very little on how…” Ducky trailed off, noticing Gibbs glaring. 

“Wouldn’t you have patched it up, Duck?” Gibbs demanded. 

“Why no, Jethro, why would you think…” 

“Gibbs has seen the scar. Or so he says.” 

“So I say? It’s right above her heart; of course, I’ve seen it.” 

“Ah, so he is that Jethro,” Bones confirmed with Angela. 

“Gibbs, the only way you’ve seen that scar is if you’ve seen Jenny without any clothes on.” 

“You said you profiled us,” Gibbs reminded. 

“Jethro, I think what she’s saying is that you would have only seen it if you’d been with Jennifer perhaps more recently than….1999.” 

“What?” Gibbs looked confused. 

“Jenny received that scar on February 8th, 2002. She saved my life, and then I saved hers,” Ziva explained. “Dr. Brennan here is the one that stitched it.”

“What?” 

“We need the rest of the team,” Ziva turned to Ducky. 

“No,” Gibbs demanded. “She was by the staircase in that damn house. She asked me to stay; it was...she had that sweater that was soft and… the phone. She’d lost her phone from the kid…” 

“Gibbs, are you telling me you and Jenny have been together in the last two months?” Ziva demanded. 

“No,” Gibbs snapped. “Wait, how would you know if I was at her house?” 

“Jethro…” Ducky started, “Has Jenny spoken to you about her health recently?” 

“No, I asked her...she didn’t answer. Why am I being interrogated here?” 

“We need Tony and Abby now,” Ziva said, going to get them. 

“Jethro,” Ducky began. “I think…”  
“Does this have to do with the girl chat we had with Jenny…” Bones began. 

“Sweetie,” Angela snapped. “Shut it.” 

“What? She was emotionally distressed about the…” Booth covered her mouth. “Bones, maybe not right now.” 

“Jethro, you and Jenny were the worst kept secret back in the day if you two got back together…” Fornell started. “Well, none of us would care...before your little margarita safari, she was actually quite bearable.” 

“What?” Gibbs repeated himself. 

“And that would explain the entire thing,” Abby announced, coming into the room. “Ziva filled us...me in; Tony is still…”

“But seriously?” Tony said. 

“Tony, I will kill you with that stapler,” Ziva promised. 

“What is going on?” Gibbs demanded. “None of this is getting us closer to finding Jen or McGee.” 

“Yes, Gibbs, it is,” Ziva said. “Gibbs, when you saw the scar above her heart, how long was her hair?” 

“What?” 

“Boss, Ziva wants to know if she had the regrettable pixie cut,” Tony explained. “We’re just…” 

“Jethro,” Ducky demanded. 

“I don’t….it was short...she was wearing black, but no, she was wearing the sweater….” Gibbs paused. He could see two memories of her, but he wasn’t sure which one was real. It wasn’t the first time that had happened with her. 

“Why is her hair length important?” Bones asked. “That will not help in…”

“A year after Jennifer became director, Jethro was caught in an explosion and, as a result of a coma, had retrograde amnesia,” Ducky explained. Cam gasped.

“We were pretty sure you remembered everything, Boss,” Tony said. 

“Didn’t you use trigger words?” Cam demanded. 

“Yes, we all did,” Abby began. “But Jenny, she said she would only use the rules...um, Gibbs has rules that we…” 

“What happened right before the explosion? Was there a big case or something?” Booth questioned. “I know that...things right before are often lost,” Booth sympathized. 

“The Dempsey brothers kidnaped Jenny,” Tony remembered aloud. “Boss, you knew about the coat, the airport…” 

“Yes, I remember,” Gibbs said quietly. 

“It’s been in my mind today as well,” Ziva began. “Gibbs, you remembered the coat. That’s how you know how to find her; she needs you to remember now.” 

“I remember that day,” Gibbs assured. “We were down in autopsy with Ducky; the two of you agreed it was natural causes,” Gibbs said, turning to Ducky. 

“Yes, we did. You gave her your coffee.” 

“That was...normal,” Gibbs protested.

“Who took her home?” Fornell asked. Everyone looked at him. “She’s the director of a federal agency; she doesn’t go anywhere without a tail.” 

“That’s not exactly the case. Sometimes...well, if Gibbs were with her, she’d ditch the detail,” Tony said. “Boss, did you take her home?” 

“You did, Jethro; I remember you had her coat, and she laughed,” Ducky said. “I told you to watch for trauma.” 

“And then Ziva stayed at the house?” Tony assumed. It had happened before. 

“No, I did not,” Ziva answered. “I...I saw her the next day; she was...different.” 

“None of this makes sense,” Gibbs explained. “The night I saw that scar, Jenny told me about her father, and I…. the next day I was going to tell her...but I got a case,” Gibbs rambled, something unusual enough that the entire team was looking at him. “I…” 

“Gibbs, Jenny was different in the month leading up to that case,” Ziva said. “Before the explosion…”

“And after...she…” Tony started. 

“Hell, she went to hell,” Fornell recalled. “Jethro, I wasn’t kidding when I said I was grateful for your return from the margarita safari. We would draw straws, so we didn’t have to see her.” 

“IF any of this is true,” Gibbs began, “Jenny would have said something.” 

“No, Jethro,” Ducky said quietly. 

“Not when she was afraid or hurt or quite frankly perhaps thought that since you remembered some things and not others that it didn’t mean the same thing.” Bones said quietly, glancing at her partner. “I know what that can be like; Jenny and I are similar in many ways.” 

“She’s right, Jethro,” Ducky agreed. Gibbs stormed out. “Abigail, leave him, you too, Anthony,” Ducky warned. 

“But…”

“Leave him.” 

* * *

After Jenny recapped her morning to McGee, she looked up at him and waited for him to respond. He seemed to avoid making eye contact with her. 

“McGee?” 

“You said it was about 7 AM when you pulled into NCIS,” McGee said. 

“Yes, it’s not unusual for me to come in early.” 

“Yea, but it’s now 9 AM, which means we’ve been gone three hours, assuming that we woke up shortly after being put here; we must have flown at some point because otherwise…” 

“Otherwise, what McGee?” 

“The clock doesn’t make sense.”

“What do you mean?” 

“Well, Gibb, as soon as he realized you...we were gone he would have…” McGee trailed off. He paused, thinking and afraid that he had been right when he thought Gibbs hadn’t remembered everything after the coma. He figured if anyone shared those suspicions, it would be the redhead director. “Do you think Gibbs remembers everything from before the coma?”

“Talk about left-field McGee; what does this have to do with our predicament?” 

“When Brian Dempsey kidnaped you, we had no way to track you. You passed the message about the coat, and Gibbs said something about a plane and airport, so that’s how we found you.”

“I know, McGee. I understand you were instrumental in that.” 

“Yea, but Gibbs came to me the next day, he...you know how he can be,” 

“Overprotective.” 

“Right, so he had me install a backdoor on your phone.” Jenny looked up at McGee, wishing she could be surprised. 

“I’m not sure why I am surprised, but McGee, we already checked our phones. They don’t seem to be sending out GPS signals. Whoever took us probably knows how to block that signal, not to mention we appear to be underground and that alone…”

“It wouldn’t stop this...You could be 2,000 feet underwater, and this would work. It’s...I built it that way, and I built it to be unhackable with fail-safes,” McGee explained. “Gibbs wanted to make sure you would never know it was there but that we could access it when we needed.” 

“McGee, are you telling me that you’ve had a way to track my every moment for nearly three years?” 

“Yes, but…” McGee could tell Jenny was getting angry and raised his hand in surrender. “It wasn’t just you. I did it to the whole team; the difference was...Gibbs knew about yours, but…”  
“Not everyone else, I feel slightly better. So what’s the problem?” 

“Gibbs. I don’t think he remembers it.” Jenny sighed as she watched McGee try to come up with something comforting to end that revelation. 

“Tim, you’ve been asking yourself why you were taken. It wasn’t just proximity. It’s because of this. Because you know about tech, who did you tell?” 

“No one.”

“McGee…” 

“No one, not even Abby. I keep the records on my home computer. I coded it, so even if it’s hacked, they won’t know who each location belongs to. The only person who knew your code was Gibbs, and it was at his insistence that day. He gave me a code phrase to use, he never used it, but he once asked me to track you...when you were in Paris, but he asked in front of Abby, and that’s when I began to think that he didn’t remember. There was also an instance about the frog…. And the marina.” 

“McGee,” Jenny interrupted. “Are you telling me Gibbs asked you to track my whereabouts the night the frog disappeared?” 

“No. I...run a check every night to make sure it’s functioning. I saw you and Gibbs together at the marina and didn’t think anything of it till we got there the next day, but then… and when the FBI recovered the body, I….double checked the timestamps, but you were there hours before the time of death so I just… deleted the records.” 

“Wait. Stop, “ Jenny insisted. “You….will come back to the deletion of evidence, but you said Gibbs and me, I’m not… That’s not possible.” 

“Considering we might not get out of here, how about nothing can be used against at later dates,” McGee offered. 

“Accepted. But back to the marina, Gibbs was with me early in the evening at my house. I went to the marina by myself. The frog was alive when I left; yes, there may have been an injury. No place… vital.” Jenny said, rambling before stopping suddenly, realizing what she gave away. 

“Gibbs was with you. The tracking device has a fifty-foot accuracy. Your signals were together, although you left, and he didn’t. I figured he offered the frog a deal, and when he went missing… do you think Gibbs….” McGee drifted off, watching the redhead look away. 

“McGee, don’t, I’m still… let’s go back to this tracker in the phone. It records our movements for a period?” 

“Two weeks.” 

“And Gibbs told you to set it up, and you’ve somehow been updating it…” 

“Abby updates all the phones; I just make sure to work on yours, and Gibbs’ and Abby doesn’t know.” 

“Okay, and it should work even though we’re in some kind of underground elevator.” 

“Yes.” 

“But Gibbs doesn’t remember telling you to do this?” McGee nodded. 

“Do you think Gibbs remembers?” 

“I know he doesn’t,” Jenny admitted. “He clearly forgot a lot more than I suspected,” she added. 

“Gibbs was different after you were kidnapped. He was...happy, I guess,” McGee said. Jenny said nothing. “I...I know Ziva profiled the team before she joined us. I read your profile; Abby was...worried about some new redhead,” he laughed at his explanation. Jenny chuckled. 

“Sounds like Abby.” 

“Tony thinks there’s something there, so does Abby, but I...I read Ziva’s profile, so if you want me to forget it…” McGee implied. 

“That would be easy, but no.” 

“After you were kidnapped, Tony offered up another bet that you had gotten back together. I was out one night, this French place near Georgetown, I thought I recognized someone, but then the explosion and we all just… tried to cope. None of us asked about you.” 

“I wouldn’t have discussed it,” Jenny said, remembering the evening McGee described. 

“It’s why you insisted you wouldn’t use trigger words, other than the rules. But you have used them,” McGee reasoned, putting together moments where he’d seen the two together. 

“Tim, you will one day make an excellent team leader,” Jenny said by way of an answer. “Yes, I have used trigger words; he doesn’t remember the time between the kidnapping and the explosion. Sometimes I think he gets flashes, but he’s...attributed it to another time.” 

“Then he won’t know that he has the way to find you in his hand,” McGee sighed. _And I suddenly feel worse for Tony and Ziva._

“The app shows my location, right?” Jenny thought. 

“Yes, all of ours technically, but the way our phones are functioning...we could probably only use yours.” 

“Can you send messages through the app?” 

“Possibly, I could probably do something through my phone, but he won’t know it’s you or us, I guess. Plus, what if they’re being watched?” McGee said.

“McGee, whoever took us probably knows the background on us; they’d be expecting me to give up the message. But, they underestimate you. They underestimate the team, and most importantly, they’ve underestimated Gibbs. Check my phone, make sure this thing is working. Then I’ll tell you what message to send.” Jenny handed over her phone, and McGee checked it over before nodding and then looking at his trying to figure out how he could send the message without texting. 

Jenny watched him get into his groove and smiled; he would make a good team leader and leader in general someday. She also couldn’t help but think that while she believed everything she’d told McGee, she couldn’t shake the feeling in her gut that even if Gibbs and the team found them, it wouldn’t be over. Her time was up regardless, and as she relaxed against the wall, she promised herself that she would get McGee out of here in one piece. 

“What was the code he gave you?” Jenny asked after some time in silence. McGee looked up, startled from turning his phone into a mini-computer. 

“Pardon?” 

“The code, Gibbs said he gave you a code phrase; what was the code phrase?” 

“That’ll be the day,” McGee answered after a minute, watching Jenny’s face as she winced as if the words had a double meaning. 

“Did it mean something specific?” Jenny inquired, trying to keep her poker face. 

“It meant I was supposed to find you and take you and Abby somewhere safe or notify someone to get you somewhere safe. He said it was a fail-safe, that you were a good agent and if you wanted could disappear.” Jenny nodded, looking away and leaving McGee to work. 

“What’s my code name?” She asked, trying to get rid of the heavy feeling. 

“Um...Gibbs picked it; it was Boudica,” McGee answered. “I ah made his Duke, after John Wayne...the code phrase inspired that one. Tony is Red Five, and Ziva is Rogue One, Star Wars references. Abby is Veronica...a comic reference, and I was just Elflord.” Jenny looked at her phone, glancing at the fact that her app had Duke listed.

“He has a lot of similarities to the Duke,” Jenny commented. “Is there a reason he’s an option in my app?” 

“Oh that,” McGee hesitated. “When I decided to use this tech with everyone, it was during the Magaratia Safari... Abby was getting hysterical about Gibbs and...I made it so only I could know where everyone was. Gibbs could find you on his app; I knew he wouldn’t use it; he’d make me do it, so I didn’t worry. When he got back, I added him to your phone. You got him to stay, and I thought that if something happened, you’d be the most likely to go after us.” 

“You would be right about that,” Jenny assured. She fell silent and let McGee work. 

“Okay, I think I can get it to work,” McGee announced. “We’re only going to get one chance, though… I the battery is worn,” 

“Well, one is all we need,” Jenny replied. “Here’s what you’re going to say...” 


	3. Scene 2

The squints and the NCIS team were standing in Angela’s office watching the security footage to get a feeling for how the Director and McGee were taken. The NCIS team was reticent as they waited for Gibbs to come back. Abby was glancing at the door frequently. Cam kept glancing at the NCIS team and then at the door. 

“Dr. Hodgins, how much air do you think they have?” she asked after a minute breaking the silence. 

“If this person said six hours, that’s probably all they have. Hopefully, they calculated for two people, not like Taffet’s first time,” Hodgins answered.    
“If she didn’t?” Tony asked. The squints looked at each other quietly. 

“They’ll have half or less,” Bones answered quietly. 

“They’ve already been gone three hours!” Ziva snapped. 

“Possibly, the call came to Gibbs at 8:00 AM on the dot, assuming that it was after they were buried this was a narrow window. We can see McGee get taken at 7:00 AM; the Director was first at 6:45 AM,” Angela explained. 

“Does she always go to work so early?” Cam asked

“Lately, she has,” Ziva answered. “She often works late or early.” 

“This has been going on for a while, though,” Tony said. “I mean like she’s trying to get something done.” 

“I’m sorry, do they not know?” Cam finally asked, turning to Ducky. 

“Dr. Sayoran, as a doctor,” 

“Ducky, do you know something?” Abby asked.

“Abigail, I’m afraid I cannot…”

“Damnit, screw patient confidentiality,” Tony snapped. “Gibbs has been acting weird for a couple of weeks since that kid. Jenny at least as long, now she’s missing, what is going on?” 

Ziva put her hand on Tony’s shoulder, trying to get him to calm down. 

“Jenny is sick,” Bones answered quietly. 

“Bones?” Booth inquired. 

“Do you remember when I said I had to go to work late a couple of nights ago?” Booth nodded. “It was Jenny, she… she wanted me to look at some scans.” 

“What is wrong with Jenny?” Abby demanded. 

“The Director has a tumor,” Ducky answered. Booth watched Bones nod. 

“It’s pressing on her frontal lobe, affects her balance, and may have other underlying causes,” Bones explained. 

“How long?” Ziva asked.

“Judging by the size, she’s had it for at least a year and a half and probably suffered headaches as it grew. She will need surgery,” Bones explained. 

“She hasn’t put in for leave,” Tony said. 

“Jennifer has elected not to have the surgery at this time,” Ducky answered. 

“Gibbs wouldn’t…” Abby started. 

“Gibbs does not know,” Ziva finished Abby’s statement. “And she’s deliberately not told him and avoided him even because he will know.” 

“Yes,” Ducky answered simply. Fornell looked up from where he was sitting, watching the NCIS team and the Jeffersonian team quietly. 

“Gibbs has been gone too long, I’ll get him, and then we can find them both and bring them home. Perhaps one of you can let it slip,” Fornell suggested. 

“I’ll get Gibbs,” Booth said quietly, turning to Bones. “You’re all too close,” he suggested. They nodded, none of the NCIS team wanting to face the Boss in such a mood.

* * *

Booth walked down the hall toward a seldom-used alcove. Booth knew the nook well. He’d spent lots of time there thinking and taking out his frustration before Bones and he were together. Booth thanked God they’d finally figured things out and had a family. He could easily see how a twist of fate might have led him to be more like Gibbs. He turned the corner just as Gibbs slammed his fist into the wall. 

“Any better?” Booth asked. Gibbs simply glared. “Yea, difficult partner, I get that. Bones can be….trying.” 

“Wouldn’t talk about your wife like that,” Gibbs suggested. 

“She’s also my partner,” Booth said. “Sometimes I got those two confused, well before we were together at least. I guess you can relate.” 

“You seem to know a lot,” Gibbs said. 

“It takes one to know one,” Booth suggested. “The Director, she was your partner, undercover even. Lines get blurry.” 

“There was no line,” Gibbs said. “That came when she became Director.” 

“You were smart; I made a line before I realized what a good thing it was not to have one,” Booth said. “I gather you crossed that line at some point.” Gibbs didn’t say anything, still trying to process the fact that what he had wanted, had come to pass, but then he’d forgotten it. “There was a time when I thought it was all in my head, my feelings for Bones; they were a product of something else, proximity, whatever. I doubted myself, doubted her. I haven’t forgiven myself for that lost time, but I wouldn’t change what we have now.” 

“A family,” Gibbs guessed. Booth nodded. 

“I spent a lot of time in this alcove. Wall’s been damaged a few times too. When Bones got taken, and I got her back, I just always assumed we’d have time.” 

“You making a comparison?” 

“I’m saying you’ve had a lot of time. Fix it.” 

“Still doesn’t help me find them,” Gibbs answered. “I don’t know where she is, where McGee is. I don’t know why they would take them.” 

“They took her for a reason, likely they know you both, have enough to figure out things that even your team doesn’t know for sure. It’s not rocket science to see this is to target the two of you. Regardless of whatever you are, she was your partner, and Marines don’t leave anyone behind. It’s your team member, McGee, that they’ve revealed themselves on.” 

“You’re saying it’s obvious why they took her, but McGee wasn’t just an opportunity.” 

“DiNozzo is your second; Ziva is an assassin, and Abby would have been an easy target, so why McGee?” 

“He’s smart; he is an author. It could be the money.” 

“Could, but what else would you use McGee for?” 

“He’d have figured out a way to track her,” Gibbs said after a minute. 

“You’ve got to have faith that he’s doing that now,” Booth said. “That he’s trying to figure out a way to tell you where they are. I’m guessing that your Director was a good agent. You don’t become Director by being subpar.” Gibbs snorted. 

“She is a good agent,” Gibbs agreed. “She’s been off lately.” 

“Yea… your Ducky explained,” Booth started. “I…” 

“Ducky knows; I suspected as much. He wouldn’t discuss it with me. He told me to talk to her. She lied,” Gibbs said. “Well, not flat out, just distracted. Guess I lost the right to get a say…”    
“You remember now. You can have another chance for her to tell you if you come back and help us…” A beep cut him off. Gibbs hand went to his phone and noticed an app with an alert on it. He turned to walk back toward Angela’s office, shouting for Abby as Booth followed. Abby appeared in the doorway, looking at Gibbs. 

“This just popped up,” Gibbs snapped at the Goth. Abby took the phone squinting at the alert. 

“What is Iter?” Abby asked. 

“Latin for Journey,” Bones answered immediately. 

“It’s an App. I’ve never heard of this,” Abby said. 

“Could it be the unsub contacting us again?” Fornell inquired. 

“They said they wouldn’t, and if they’re true to the Grave Digger MO, they won’t,” Booth replied. 

“Maybe this is that faith you were speaking of,” Gibbs said quietly. “Open it, Abbey.” 

“Gibbs, this could…”

“Do it.” 

She opened the app and had Angela assist her with putting it on the screen in the office. As Abbey read the message to herself, she wondered if Gibbs really wanted to see this. 

“Gibbs, are you sure…”

“Abby, by now, you all know. I just want them back,” Gibbs said determinedly. “It doesn’t leave this room.” 

“Copy that, Boss,” DiNozzo answered. Ziva simply nodded. 

“Okay, here we go. It’s a message notification in the app. It’s from the username Elflord. Conference Room Attic.” 

“What?” Tony asked. 

“Conference Room Attic, that’s all it says,” Abby explained, “but Gibbs, there are other users here… Elflord, Red Leader, Rogue One, Boudica…”

“Boudica,” Gibbs said as a memory snapped to the front. “It’s Jenny.” 

“The message came from Elflord, Boss, that’s McGee’s online…”    
“The message is from Jenny. They’re together,” Gibbs insisted. 

“How do you know?” Ziva demanded. 

“The word, Attic. It’s her, and they’re in trouble,” Gibbs explained. 

“Then what does Conference Room mean?” Angela inquired. “Did you check NCIS?” 

“They’re in an elevator,” Tony said. Gibbs' head snapped up. “Boss uses the elevator as a conference room.” 

“So then what?” 

“The username Boudica, click on it,” Gibbs insisted. Abby did so, and on the screen, a map appeared with a flickering blue circle. “That’s them.” 

“Are you sure?” Booth asked. 

“Jethro, whoever took them has tech sufficient enough to mimic a signal. This could be a wild goose chase.” 

“It’s them,” Gibbs insisted. “Get your gear,” he snapped to his team. 

“Wait a minute,” Booth insisted. “You can't just go without backup. You have no idea how accurate that signal is or what could be waiting. It could be a trap.” 

“This is McGee’s app,” Abby said quietly. “I noticed once that he always updated it on yours and the Director’s cellphone. Gibbs… did you know?” Gibbs didn’t reply, merely turning to where Ziva and Tony were grabbing their coats. 

“Jethro, I’m coming with you,” Ducky insisted. 

“Duck, I need you…”

“No, Jethro, I’ll be needed. The Director has been missing for over three hours…” He faded off. 

“There something you not telling me, Duck?” 

“Not now, Jethro, let’s get them back first,” Ducky said, glancing at the team and saw silent nods. No one would say a word about the Director’s health until she was safely recovered. Then, well, all bets were off. 

“We can do tactile assessment en route,” Gibbs said to Fornell and Booth. “I might need your assistance Agent Booth,” Gibbs said vaguely. Booth nodded and went to tell Bones he’d be back later, begging her to stay behind. Cam had insisted on going as another medical doctor on site. 

The team deployed in their cars, everyone hooked up through intercoms to Angela’s lab, where Angela, Hodgins, and Abby worked on-ground assessments. 

“What’ve you got, Abby?” Gibbs said.

“It’s an abandoned Nike Missile base. Almost 75% of it is underground. There are four elevator shafts that I can see on the layout,” Abby started. 

“We have to narrow that down,” Tony said. 

“I can try to get some satellites or thermal imaging, but if they’re underground, we might not be able to spot them,” Angela said. 

“What about earlier data? Could we scan for previous tracks? They had to be brought there somehow?” 

“I can try to get access to some of the military satellites,” Hodgins suggested. 

“C’mon Hodgins, don’t break the law, again,” Booth muttered as Fornell chuckled next to him. Gibbs was driving ahead of them, defying gravity and speed restrictions, and Booth tried to keep up. “I’m surprised you stayed, Sir,” Booth said conversationally. 

“Gibbs is a friend. So is Jenny, I owe them,” he answered. “And it’s more to make sure Gibbs doesn’t kill anyone.” 

“You think he’ll go after whoever ever did this?” 

“Like a dog with a bone,” Fornell assured. 

“Evidence?” 

“That kidnapping, Officer David mentioned, Brian Dempsey was shot through the head,” Fornell said. 

“He had a gun to the Director’s head, according to Agent DiNozzo. I would have done the same thing,” Booth said. 

“Ari Haswarri,” Fornell said. 

“The terrorist? He’s dead.” 

“Gibbs.” 

“I heard he shot a federal agent. I didn’t know it was NCIS.” 

“Yes. And then one of the minions took a shot at the Director. Gibbs is a good man but, in some respects, a chauvinist. He doesn’t handle it well.” 

“I share that feeling, Sir.” 

“I know you do, Agent Booth.” 

“There’s something we’re missing about this,” Booth said. “He’s told not to contact the FBI, but with the background they have, they would have to know about your relationship. They’re given an amount that’s impossible to meet but is also relevant to them personally. They had to know anything similar to the Grave Digger would get my attention,” Booth thought aloud. 

“You think this may be a trap?” 

“The woman, Jane Doe, that the Director thought was her mother? Bones, ah Dr. Brennan’s mother was discovered that way. She saw a rendering of her.” 

“Coincidence, perhaps.”

“I don’t believe in those.” 

“Neither does Gibbs.” 

“No one outside of the Jeffersonian knows that.” 

“Anyone could read it in a case report. Your history is well documented,” Fornell reminded. “You’ve also been part of inter agencies teams, including NCIS agents.” 

“Yes, but I don’t discuss Bones, usually,” Booth said. 

“Your partner, Ms. Montenegro, and Dr. Sayoran know Jennifer Shepard as more than acquaintances,” Fornell reminded. 

“Yea. Bones you there?” Booth asked, tapping into the intercom, aware that everyone would hear this conversation.

“Yes, Booth, we’re trying to use the satellites to narrow down the elevator shaft to give you a better idea of where to look.” 

“Right, how did you meet Director Shepard?” 

“On a dig in Serbia, Jenny was the case agent.” 

“You worked with NCIS?”   
“It was before we were partners, Booth. I worked with several agencies all over the world. You knew that.” 

“And this was when Jen was in counter-terrorism?” Gibbs chimed in. 

“No, we were never in Serbia,” Ziva replied. 

“Ah, it was in 1999.” 

“I don’t remember this,” Gibbs said. “We were in Serbia together in 1999. I would have remembered this dig.” 

“It was a mass grave. An American sailor was found among the remains. Jenny was pulled for a few days from an operation she was on in the area. She didn’t say much, but she assisted and then left. We stayed in touch.” 

“Jethro, when you were shot, Jennifer had the solo assignment.” 

“Yea, she...she didn’t want to talk about it much.” 

“It was quite a difficult scene. Our conclusions were it was a pre-existing grave from Radik’s period, Booth,” Bones said quietly. 

“Radik was shot and killed in 1995,” Gibbs chimed in. 

“Yea, I know,” Booth answered. 

“Ah, Army Ranger, almost as good as me, I had left the Marines by then,” Gibbs answered. “Who else knew about this Ducky?” 

“I didn’t know where she was or what the case was. I thought she would have discussed it with you,” Ducky answered. 

“Obviously not,” Gibbs muttered.

“Booth, this might not have anything to do with…” Bones began. 

“We cannot rule it out, Bones, too many overlaps,” Booth said. 

“There was another NCIS agent that she handed the case off too,” Bones said after a minute. “I did not like him very much, but he was efficient in the paperwork.” 

“Who was it?” DiNozzo asked. 

“Leon Vance,” Gibbs answered. 

“Yes, how did you know?” 

“A hunch,” Gibbs replied. 

“Gibbs, that might be a coincidence,” Ziva answered. Angela, meanwhile, entered the information on Vance to look him up. 

“He’s here on the east coast,” Angela said. “This Agent Vance.” 

“It’s Assistant Director Vance,” DiNozzo corrected, looking over at Gibbs. “And we don’t like him.” 

“Well, he continually calls a burner phone, increased activity all week and one call today but after 8:15 nothing.” 

“Where’s the burner phone pinging?” Fornell asked. 

“Within a ten-mile radius of this signal, we’re following,” Abby replied, tracking it down. “Wait, this number is familiar.” 

“Abby, who is it?” 

“I don’t know, Gibbs. I would know if I had my equipment, but if Vance…” 

“Yea, Abby, you can’t go back to NCIS. Think hard.” 

“McGee would be really helpful right now,” Abby snapped. 

“Abby, c’mon, you can do this,” Tony encouraged. There was a snort over the line as Abby dove into the work. “Boss, if this is Vance…” 

“The Director may not be alive,” Ziva finished sadly. 

“She’s alive,” Gibbs said quietly, pressing his foot harder on the gas pedal. 

* * *

Another hour had gone by since they sent the text and activated the beacon on Jenny’s phone. They sat with each other, continually checking the phones to make sure they were still functioning. McGee kept running through the math in his head, trying to figure out how long they were trapped, how much more air they had. He heard a gun cock and turned toward the Director. 

“They left you, your gun?” 

“No bullets,” She noted. “It’s a ploy, Tim, whoever wants us to despair.” 

“It’s working,” McGee said quietly. “Wasn’t it you who told Abby to look at the reality and accept it?” 

“I wasn’t aware Abby shared our conversations.” 

“Not...personal things, just words of wisdom. She respects you. She thinks you're good for Gibbs.”    
“Don’t push it, Tim,” Jenny warned, turning away. “I respect Abby. I can see why Gibbs is fond of her. Fond of you all, really.”

“Family,” McGee said. “Of which we think of you as a part of.” 

“I’m not sure Gibbs would agree with you, but yes, I share the feeling,” Jenny replied. 

“You said you knew Gibbs didn’t remember everything. You seem very certain about it.” 

“I am,” Jenny answered. 

“Why didn’t you try when he came back?” McGee asked, figuring he would never have the opportunity again. 

“Good question, I don’t… no, I know, I was too consumed in what I was doing.” 

“The frog.” 

“We never did finish the conversation. You said Gibbs was at the marina, and I’m telling you he was not,” Jenny reminded. 

“The data doesn’t lie. Gibbs was a sniper. He knows how to track, and more importantly how not to be spotted.” 

“He needs a reason; Gibbs doesn’t do anything without reason. He knew what had happened earlier. He wouldn’t have thought I would…” 

“Or maybe he just thought the frog would come back. Maybe it wasn’t following you so much as protecting you,” McGee suggested. “You did describe him as overprotective.” 

“So I did,” Jenny conceded, rethinking that evening in her head. 

“You didn’t kill the frog, but someone thinks you did or wants others to think you did,” McGee reasoned. 

“Yes, and I believe it’s not the only thing. A retired NCIS agent died last evening. I was going to make arrangements to go to his funeral today. Gibbs and I both worked with him in Europe. He was our handler.” 

“William Decker,” McGee said. Jenny looked up, surprised. “I have a search set up on unusual deaths of NCIS agents or former agents. It was from...from the margarita safari.” 

“Oh, Tim,” Jenny sighed. “Yes, Decker.” 

“It’s unusual circumstances.” 

“It is.” 

“You think it’s something more. You were going to assign Tony and Ziva as your protection detail.” 

“Gibbs underestimates you.” 

“Tony’s angry with you; Ziva’s your friend. And the two are…”

“Breaking rule 12, I’m aware,” Jenny replied. 

“You could slip them,” McGee reasoned out. “Do you think something’s coming?” 

“I know it is. Something that I should have dealt with years ago, but I didn’t.” 

“Gibbs always said you were a good agent,” Jenny nodded, wondering where McGee was going with this. “You would rather go out in a hail of bullets,” McGee concluded. 

“Beats dying behind a desk,” Jenny chuckled sardonically. “But no one is dying, Tim. I just need to verify the information.” 

“Gibbs was right about the eye twitch. He speaks loudly in Abby’s hallways sometimes, even when he’s on the phone,” McGee pointed out. Jenny looked surprised. “Also, there’s an empty prescription bottle sticking out of your bag.” Jenny looked down and noticed the orange bottle protruding. “I wanted to do this book where Agent Tibbs faced a tumor that affected his memory. I did a lot of research on the types of tumors and the medication that might be used to treat one.”

“And was Colonel Lamb going to figure it out and save the hero?” Jenny inquired sarcastically.

“No, much like with the poisoning, it was the Director Shipford that figured it out,” McGee answered honestly. 

“If we ever get out of here, Tim, I’m putting your name on the list for Director,” Jenny promised. McGee said nothing, often finding that silence would get the redhead to talk in the few hours he’d be stuck with her. “Gibbs is a good investigator. He has sense, as you know, his damn gut,” She complained. “I...I keep trying to find a way to tell him, but it never seems like a good time.” 

“Time’s up,” McGee said quietly. 

“Yes, it is,” Jenny agreed in more ways than one. She could tell she was getting dizzy. She would need the medication as soon as she got out. 

“I have a notebook with me,” McGee said quietly. “I thought about writing Abby a note, just in case.” 

“I just so happen to have a pen,” Jenny agreed with the unspoken worry. “Gibbs is on his way, Tim. He got the message,” She comforted. 

“We’re going to have to help him out on this end,” McGee said. “There’s the emergency hatch at the top.” 

“We don’t know how far down we are,” Jenny reminded. “And that hatch...It opens from the outside. We’d have to blow it, know how to turn the phone into an explosive device?” 

“Yes, with the help of your gun,” McGee answered honestly. Jenny simply smiled. 

“Well then, letters first.” Jenny pulled out two pens from her purse, handing one to McGee. McGee watched her artful script write two words,  _ Dear Jethro _ . He quickly looked away and down to his letter. 

As he wrote, he contemplated the woman in front of him, successful, powerful, smart, and connected to his Boss in a way McGee didn’t understand. Partners, he got that; Tony was his partner, Ziva was his partner. Friends, again Tony, Ziva, Abby, he understood that. His partnership with Tony or even Ziva didn’t come close to the ease he witnessed between his Boss and the Director. He had some of that easy way of speaking and inside jokes with Abby, but it wasn’t the same. He had seen women come and go with Gibbs, he had even been present for the Ex-wife case, and he’d seen Gibbs with all three, a wife, a girlfriend, and a partner. The way he treated the Director was different than all of them. McGee often suspected that might have been why the Colonel left, that and the fact the team and Abby didn’t like her.  _ Yea, it might have been that too, _ McGee thought with a smile. As he finished his letter, he signed it and then put a postscript for Abby to share with Gibbs. If they didn’t make it out of here, Gibbs needed to know. 

He looked up to watch as the Director finished her letter, pausing on the signature. She was upset; tears were welling up in the corner of her eyes. He quietly watched as Jenny signed the letter and reached for her badge wallet. She pulled a worn photo and wrapped her letter around it before placing it back in the wallet and closing it. Jenny put it in her back pocket, ensuring it went with her no matter what. She looked up, feeling McGee’s stare and watching as his eyes darted back down. 

“Ask Tim,” Jenny pressed. 

“You seem certain Gibbs got the message that he’s on his way here.” 

“Yes, I am. I’ve seen what Gibbs can do. I was his partner.” 

“What you have is faith,” McGee laughed sadly. 

“So, going to teach me how to turn a phone into an explosive device,” Jenny inquired, changing the subject. McGee pulled open his phone and started walking her through the process as he did it. He asked for Jenny’s help as the process might require an extra hand. As he finished it, he looked up from what he was doing to meet her eyes. 

“Director, it’s important that you know there might be some blowback,” McGee hesitated. 

“I know, Tim, it’s why you’re not going to set it, I am.” 

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Day 7 of Virtual Learning, sorry friends, we go back in person tomorrow, and as the teacher, I actually have to work. The kiddos also have a test and lab report this week, so it'll be a minute. 
> 
> All of these stories will be done by the end of 2021. That's my goal; it seems more realistic.


End file.
